Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Tl;
- The iPhone 17 Air is said to include both low-end and pro-level features.
- Although it is thinner, it may have a battery life at the level of the current iPhones.
- If the iPhone 17 Air is a success, we could see some of the features spread to other models in the future.
Apple is expected to shake up iPhone 17 Lineup by trenching the “plus” model and replacing it with an ultra -thin phone, allegedly called the iPhone 17 Air. There is still a lot of mystery behind this new form factor, but more details have emerged. A new leak states that the device will include both low-end and pro-level functions and can start a sea of change for Apple’s other models.
In his latest power on the newsletter, Mark Gurman of Bloom Shared a lot of new information about iPhone 17 Air. From the front, the device is said to be a lot like iphone 16 pro. It looks like we can expect a 6.6-inch screen, campaign, camera control button and a standard-size dynamic island.
Surprisingly, Gurman also states that battery life can be on par with the current iPhones. This would be an impressive feat, considering that the phone is expected to shave about two millimeters from the depth of the phone. But, but Leaks Suggest Samsung’s competing thin phone, the Galaxy S25 edge, will not sacrifice much either compared to the vanilla galaxy S25.
While the iPhone 17 Air may contain some Pro-level features, Apple makes compromises elsewhere. Such a area would be the rear camera, which is believed to include a 48MP shooter like the one on the iPhone 16e. To top it, it looks like the phone only has an A19 chip and not the A19 Pro SOC found in the Pro models.
It was reported last year that Apple had trouble finding out how to fit a physical SIM card board in the air. However, this problem can be solved by an ESIM, which creates another case with regulators in China. It looks like Apple will continue with that plan, as Gurman says the air will not have a physical SIM card track.
In addition to at Pro level and low-end functions, the air is said to have some components that will make it future devices. For example, the Cupertino company provides the air with its internal modem piece that debuted on the iPhone 16E earlier this year. This piece is called C1 and is more powerful than Qualcomm’s offer, but the disadvantage is that it lacks support for MMWAVE technology.
Apple allegedly wanted to be more ambitious by giving the air a 6.9-inch screen and removing the gates. However, the company relied away from the larger screen idea to avoid creating a device that is receptive to bending. Meanwhile, Apple was worried that going door-free would upset EU regulators after giving mandate to Apple Switch to USB-C.
Gurman says that if the iPhone 17 Air is successful, Apple plans to move more models to this slimmer design. Apple may also consider going in portless again. When it comes to price, it looks like the iPhone 17 Air can cost about the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus for $ 900.